Process of manufacturing ferro-uranium.



. lilo Drawing.

I .rnSTITED. STATES r TEnTorFicE.

ROBERT MKEENEY AND LOUIS r. VOGT, orwAsHmGToN, rE'ivNsYLvAnm,

' nssre vons To STANDARD cnnmrcu. comm, or PITTSBURGH, PENN- synvnma.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that we, RoBnnTM. KEENEY and LOUIS Fa Voc'r, citizens of the United States, and residents of Washington, in the county of Washington and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and 'useful Improvements in Processes of Manufacturing Ferro-Uranium; and we do hereby declare the following to be'a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make anduse the same. v

This invention relates to an improved process for the manufacture of ferro-uranium,'the object of the invention being to provide a process whereby uranium-shall be successfully and effectually alloyed with iron or steel to form high .nium,

grade ferro-ura- With this and other objects in view, the

invention consists in certain novel steps in the process of cmakmg ferro-uramum, as

' hereinafter set forth and pointed out in the efi'ect, We prefer to employ a'n-electric fur j claims.

In carrymg'jour improved process Into magnesite rammed into place with pitchv as a binder and the bottom electrode connec- ..tion made by a steel'rod buried in the mag-' nesite; There should be .a' roof of silica brick over'the crucible. The furnace may be of either the stationary or tilting type and it should be capable of intense concentration of heat,because' of the high reduction temperature of uranium oxid, approximately 1490 (3., with a carbon reducing agent.

The materials which ,weemploy in the manufacture of ferro-uranium are uranium,-

preferably in the: form of uranium oxid, uorspar as a slag-forming material; acar bonaceous reducing agent, preferably pev troleum coke containin at least seventy per cent. fixed carbon,- an .subdivided ferrous metal, such as iron or steel particles. Steel Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 11, 1917.

i Application filed December as, 1915. Serial No. 69,045.

turnings may be employed with advantage.

We mix ferrous metal, such as steel particles or turnings with uranium oxid or so dium uranate. For example, in a 30 per cent. uranium product, we prefer to use the proportions approximately of 1 lb; of steel turnings to six-tenths of a pound of uranium ox-id (U 0 At the same time we mixin carbonaceous material (petroleum coke for example) containingat least 7 0 per cent. of fixed carbon. To this mixture ofsteel turnings, uranium oxid, and carbon, we add fluorspar in the proportions, approximately,

one pound of steel turnings. -The mixture thus formed is charged into an electric furnace at a rate dependent upon the size of Of eight-tenths of a pound of fluorspar'toj the furnace and the grade of ,alloy being made, but in no case should the mixture be charged so fast as to cool the furnace to any great degree. Regular intervals of charging is a matter of considerable importance. In other words, a charge should be introduced into the furnace as soon as a previous charge.

has been reduced and melted. In the operation of the furnace, a portion of the charge will collect on the wall of the furnace and afiords a prbtection'to the lining,the

charge thus forming, in effect, a lining the furnace The reactions involved are those of simple carbon reduction, ,the reduced firanium alloying with the steel turnings to form ferrouranium, and may be represented as follows:

U-,O,+8C=3U+8CO. .--We have found that fluorspa'r is the best and probably only slag-forming material which may be successfully used to obtain a reasonable proportion of uranium in the alloy, and it should be used in considerable quantity, and be of a high grade so as to avoid impurities which would be detrimental to the alloy.

A typical charge for the production 'offerro-uranium (the uranium oxid containing 68.8 uranium or 82 per cent. U 0 the coke 70 per cent. fixed carbon; the turnings 0.31

55 All" of these-materials should be as free as per cent. C and 0.098 per cent. Si) may be substantially as follows Steel turnings 10 lbs. Uranium oxid 7.5 lbs. Coke 6 lbs. Fluorspar 8 lbs.

Of the uranium put into this charge, at least 76 per cent. willbe contained in the finished alloy; One hundred pounds of the said charge will produce approximately forty pounds of ferro uranium,-and by resmelting the residue approximately 85 per cent. of the uranium would be alloyed with the steel and about 45 pounds of ferrouranium obtained. I

The 'ferro-uranium made from. the typical charge above stated will contain ingredients approximately in the following proportions:

U 29.2 per cent. C 5.12 per cent. 2.68 'per cent. Fe 63 per cent.

- operation is approximately 65 per cent. in

.a small furnace, and might be brought up to 75 per cent. On remelting the slag, the ultimate recovery of uranium can be brought to from 85 to 90 per cent.

Having fully described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is 2 1. The herein described process of makingferro-uranium consisting in reducing a compound of uranium in the presence of ferrous metal and at a temperature above the meltin point of the ferrous metal.

2. T e herein described process of making 4c. Theherein described process of making ferro-uranium, consisting in mixing subdivided ferrous metal. with a compound of uranium, a carbonaceous reducing agent and fiuorspar as a slag-forming material, and subjecting said mixture, to'a, reducing temperature, whereby the uranium content will be alloyed with the ferrous metal.

5. The herein described. process of making fenro-uranium, consisting in" mixing subdivided ferrous metal with uranium oxid, a carbonaceous reducing agent, and fluorspar as a slag-forming material, and subjecting said mixture to a reducing temperature, whereby the uranium, content will, be alloyed with. the ferrous metal.

6. The herein-described. processconsisting in mixing ferrous metal. turnings with uranium oxid, a carbonaceous reducing agent and fluorspar and chargin portionsof said mixture at regular interva s into an electric furnace, whereby the uranium. oxid will be reduced and the uranium content alloyed with the ferrous metal.

In testimony whereof, we have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

Witnesses B... L UREN A. D. RILEY. 

